FYS 64 Representing Atrocity
We live surrounded by images of war and disaster on our screens, transmitted at light-speed from thousands of miles away. Do these images inspire us to action, or do they numb us? What are the ethics of looking at someone else’s suffering, and what are the ethics of scrolling past it? This seminar explores how literature, art, and film attempt to depict and interpret mass violence. Together, we will study the history of portraying atrocity in word and image, analyze various literary and visual genres, debate theories of representation and witnessing, and discuss the moral and aesthetic limitations of documenting trauma.
Open only to first-year frosh.